US Air Force to Supply IFF Systems for F-16

BAE Systems was awarded a $34 million contract to provide its Mode 5 Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) system for the U.S. Air Force fleet of F-16s.

(F-16. Photo, courtesy of BAE Systems.)

The system will replace older IFF technology on the F-16s, increasing the aircraft's identification capability with the use of secure message and data transmission formats. IFF is composed of electronic interrogators and transponders that provide a questions and answer system for identifying enemy aircraft.

Under the contract, BAE will provide its AN/APX-125 Mode 5 Combined Interrogator Transponders to the Air Force and the European Participating Air Force partners.

"The system allows the warfighter to rapidly differentiate between friendly and potentially hostile forces well beyond a pilot’s visual range," said Sal Costa, product line director for identification and processing solutions at BAE Systems.